FTC Clamps Down On Companies That Illegally Share Location, Health Data

Following the controversial reversal of Roe v Wade, a group of lawmakers penned an open letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, petitioning for the technology giant to stop collecting and storing users’ location data, which could end up being used to prosecute those seeking reproductive treatments. 

Now, in a heartening step forward, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has put out an announcement warning businesses that it plans on clamping down on any misuse of users’ health and location data, emphasizing it would take action against companies violating privacy laws. 

“Among the most sensitive categories of data collected by connected devices are a person’s precise location and information about their health,” the FTC wrote in a blog post. 

“Now consider the unprecedented intrusion when these connected devices and technology companies collect that data, combine it, and sell or monetize it. This isn’t the stuff of dystopian fiction. It’s a question consumers are asking right now,” it continued. 

While the organization did not detail the exact steps it would take to crack down on the misuse of data, it did highlight the murky dealings between data collections and third parties, including data aggregators and brokers that sell information for profit. 

In fact, in one example, a data broker had allegedly told shareholders that it had “3,000 points of data for every consumer in the United States.” 

The frightening consequences when these firms breach privacy laws cannot be understated, especially with reproductive health data, which the FTC agreed could expose “consumers to significant harm.” 

“Criminals can use location or health data to facilitate phishing scams or commit identify theft. Stalkers and other criminals can use location or health data to inflict physical and emotional injury,” it continued.

“The exposure of health information and medical conditions, especially data related to sexual activity or reproductive health, may subject people to discrimination, stigma, mental anguish, or other serious harms.”

As such, the Commission reiterated its commitment to using the “full scope of its legal authorities to protect consumers’ privacy,” promising it will “vigorously enforce the law” if it comes across illegal conduct, and will provide a roadmap for businesses to looking to comply with the regulations. 

[via Engadget and Federal Trade Commission, cover image via Seventyfourimages | Dreamstime.com]